Gerenser's Exotic Ice Cream

One of New Hope's oldest family businesses is Gerenser's Exotic Ice Cream. The Gerenser Family will celebrate their 55th Anniversary in business in New Hope September 23, this year.

The story of the Exotic Ice Cream really is a love story. Stephen J. Gerenser who was teaching at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. would meet his sweetheart Julia Pelikan who lived and worked in Manhattan. New Hope was the half-way mark. Like many people that come here, the young couple were enchanted by the natural beauty and charm of the little story book town. They were married and made plans to settle in New Hope and raise a family.

One of their favorite places to meet was a little restaurant called the "Village Snack Shop." When they discovered it was for sale they decided to buy it and a new enterprise was born. Through the fabulous family recipes of Mrs. Gerenser the little restaurant thrived. The magic really began when Mr. Gerenser discovered a small ice cream machine sitting in one of the back rooms of their new establishment. Julia and Stephen were not satisfied with the commercial ice creams available, they wanted something better to compliment there wonderful meals. Stephen was raised in a dairy in New Brunswick New Jersey and he knew exactly what to do with that machine! He would make the best ice cream any one ever tasted.

New Hope in the Forties and early fifties mirrored the excitement of the art scene and off Broadway. People came to the little town in throngs to see wonderful productions at the State Theater of Pennsylvania- The Bucks County Playhouse. After the show they would head up Main Street to The Village Snack Shop for the delicious home made ice cream of the Gerenser Family. It really was quite a site. Several hundred people standing in line for the incredible cold confections. Rather quickly, Stephen and Julia realized that it was easier to make ice cream than to put out the "blue plate special". So utilizing their cooking skills and Julia's old family Hungarian cookbook such incredible creations as American Pumpkin and Hungarian Tokay, German Peach Brandy and Spanish Rum Raisin came into being. After the flood of 1955 with the rebuilding of New Hope, The Village Snack Shop came back as "Gerenser's Exotic Ice Cream."

Here today you can have a wonderful and unique ice cream experience. The Gerensers constantly add new flavors such as "Caribbean Spicy Tree Bark" (well they could not just call it cinnamon) while maintaining a list of flavors over 60 long. They have been written up in Gourmet magazine and recommended by many others. The store itself is a bit of Americana with a dining room decorated with prints and artifacts from the American Revolution. Besides Ice Cream a huge variety of other desserts from "sensible to sinful" can be had. It is a great place to bring the family and experience a unique business that has been spoiled by success or homogenized by franchises.

Gerenser's is a logical place to use as headquarters during a visit to New Hope. Staff are friendly and able to provide other information about the area. You may take your desserts outside into a beautiful backyard that overlooks the Delaware River. Clean restrooms are always available for patrons. Boat rides and walking tours also can be arranged from there as well. Please come to Gerenser's and see the original famous ice cream store.